MTQ strives to dispel Galipeault fears Barely half a century old, the eastbound Galipeault span is incapable of handling traffic on the eastbound 20.   by Ken Gaucher Users of the Galipeault Bridge between Ile Perrot and Montreal Island can anticipate between 50 and 60 temporary closures between now and completion of the reconstruction of the eastbound span in 2010, Ministère des transports du Quebec (MTQ) officials said last week. MTQ spokesman Réal Gregoire hastened to point out that there will always be two lanes open during the morning and evening rush hours and users will have plenty of warning of upcoming closures. Everything possible would be done to make sure closures are done at night and on weekends, added Gregoire and fellow MTQ employee Claude Paquette. The closures and measures to keep traffic flowing were among the announcements made by the MTQ at last week's three public meetings, two on the island of Ile Perrot and one in Ste-Anne-du-Bellevue. Preliminary work started in 2007 but as of yet has not really disturbed the flow of rush hour traffic since there are currently two bridges, a northern span that carries westbound traffic and a southern suspension bridge carrying eastbound traffic. The southbound bridge is to be demolished and rebuilt. The MTQ announced at last week's meetings that the demolition will begin May 28 or 29 , with a completion date in the fall of 2010. The new bridge will be a three lane, 8-pillar structure. It will offer a multi-functional path to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians as well as a a panoramic lookout on the bridge overlooking Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. The project will also see an additional lane added to the northern, westbound, bridge. This will allow easier merging for cars coming onto the bridge from Ste-Anne's and exiting on Ile Claude and Ile Bellevue. During the construction, traffic from the southern bridge (eastbound) will be diverted to the northern bridge. The morning rush hours will see two lanes travelling east and one travelling west, and vice versa for the afternoon rush hour. At all times during the construction, there will be a bike/pedestrian path available. Other measures that the MTQ has put into practice in hopes to alleviate congestion problems: · The lights under the underpass (St-Pierre Street) in Ste. Anne's will be activated on May 25-26. · There will be nine electronic message boards mounted on major highways in the area to keep motorists advised of what is happening in the effected areas. · The exit for Grand Boulevard, the first exit after the bridge when travelling west, will be closed and another turning lane will be added at Boul. Perrot. · There will be adjustments to the timing of the traffic lights along the Highway 20 to allow for an easier flow of traffic. · Exit 39 in to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue on Highway 20 east will be closed in the fall for a period of 2-3 months, starting in Sept. ending Nov. or Dec. Motorists will have to go to the Morgan exit and backtrack along the water. · Two monitoring stations will be set up to measure levels of noise and vibrations. "The construction company has levels of noise and vibrations that they must respect," said Paquette "from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., both levels must drop from what they are during the day." The MTQ says that it is important to keep communications open with citizens of the area. They will be sending out pamphlets, communicating with local newspapers and holding more meetings. "We want to keep people informed of how the work is progressing," says Gregoire. He concluded the meeting by asking motorist to perhaps change some of their habits. "We are doing the best we can to make it easier on motorists but hope that motorist will also change their habits. Take the train, carpool, or take another route."